Apples and Tea
by nataeiy1
Summary: Jazz says there was a point in life where people would often change because to not do so would be to break a little inside. She calls it eccentricity and claims that Danny has already hit that point. (He doesn't see it.)


**Fandom:** Danny Phantom  
**Characters:** Danny Fenton/Phantom, Uruhara Kisuke  
**Rating:** K+  
**Genre:** Humor/Friendship  
**Author's Note:** This is more of a drabble than a story. I don't intend for it to go anywhere, but as always, anyone is welcome to do something with as long as they inform me. (I want to see it!) Also, for all those who are following me, I'm very sorry for my very, very long hiatus. I may begin to upload drabbles like this from various fandoms or occasionally update an existing story, but don't expect much for a while yet. Sorry!  
**Disclaimer:** All characters are copyright to their respective copyright holders.  
**Summary:** Jazz says there was a point in life where people would often _change_ because to not do so would be to break a little inside. She calls it eccentricity and claims that Danny has already hit that point. (He doesn't see it.)

* * *

"_In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."  
-Robert Frost_

_**Apples and Tea**__  
Becoming Something More_

Jack and Maddie Fenton are ghost hunters, scientists, and inventors. Most people call them crackpots.

Danny could remember a time when, while he felt some small bit of pride that his parents did what they wanted despite what everyone else said, he didn't really care one way or another. He knew all about their harsh views on ghosts, their dangerous reality-defying experiments, and their odd, often pointless, creations. It was a little difficult not to when they lectured at the dinner table and involved their children in everything they did in the basement laboratory by making it a part of their chores.

It might be said that it was cruel and unusual to force their kids into such activities, but Danny was honestly a little grateful for it. His parents spent so much time working that if he didn't join them he'd hardly ever see them.

He did hate it, however, when one of the experiments or inventions blew up or went berserker, or both. It happened often.

When Danny was seven and his mother had gone to the store (for FUDGE!) and he was helping his father in the lab while Jazz was—library—somewhere, the invention they were working on went a little haywire. It was meant to be a ghost proof containment vessel that would trap a ghost, reduce it to molecules, and shrink it down to something more manageable, and would later become the precursor to the Fenton Thermos.

Unfortunately, with his wife away and unable to catch his mistakes (hopefully) before he made them, Jack forgot to input the programming that would allow it to recognize and target ghosts. So instead, it targeted the first active sentient being it came across: Danny.

It's a little like that.

Danny is not entirely sure _what_ kind of creature he's come across, but it's not something he is familiar with and so he does not know how to fight it. And then it eats him, and he feels like he's being compressed into a small tiny space at the same time that he's being pulled apart into little itty-bitty tiny atoms. Except, it's more painful than the precursor and less comfortable than the Thermos itself.

Darkness presses all around him, suffocating him, but there's Light there too, accompanied by something very, very sharp, and it feels like he's having some kind of battle with _himself_. Only, it isn't himself, while it still is. Then he realizes he's not being suffocated—there's something on his face and it's not going away no matter how many times he brushes it off—and the sharp thing hurts but it's not cutting him.

So, after a few attempts pushing it all away so he can get some air and just _breathe_, he pulls his ghost tighter around himself so he doesn't _need_ to, and he _hugs_ the Dark and the Light and the smothering and the sharp. It's like being molded and cut into an entirely new shape but the contrast of Dark and Light he doesn't mind because he's always been Black and White.

When he emerges, he is something not ghost anymore. Nor, is he that creature he'd seen, or that something else that he knows instinctively at the back of his mind but cannot name. He is not human either, except that he is.

He is something _other_.

* * *

Spirits cover the world. Most of them aren't seen, but spirits are everywhere, and whatever ghost hunters seem to think, they are not inherently evil.

It is thought that they are able to become intangible and invisible, but this is not true because it is their natural state. If they are strong enough, they may be able to become tangible or visible or both, and while other spirits and spirit-sensitive humans and animals are able to see ghosts when they are not visible, some are able to become _completely_ invisible so none can see them. For the sake of clarity, Jazz considers invisibility and visibility to be ghost powers, and ghosts that are neither—a ghost's normal state of being—are called _unseen_.

Danny is something of a contradiction. He is a ghost, so invisibility and visibility are both in his power, but he is also a human, so he needs no power to be visible _or_ unseen, as they are both natural to him. As might be expected, he is a spirit and a spirit-sensitive human, and he has the unique ability to sense spiritual energy even when he can't see it.

Jazz, over the past year or so, has become somewhat sensitive to the _unseen_. Sam and Tucker have as well, but they don't live with a half-ghost in a house teeming with ectoplasm, nor do they have a portal to _the world of the dead_ in their basement. The constant sheer proximity has affected her, and she likely would have seen the unseen a lot sooner in life if she'd only been willing to believe in them.

It would explain why her parents could not see the unseen despite having worked directly with ectoplasm for twenty odd years. They are too unwilling to realize just how many spirits cover the earth, even if most are too weak to much affect the physical world, nor are they willing to accept that the dead can be anything other than the evil, obsessive, destructive non-creatures they claim.

Danny has met many humans sensitive to spirits, but none quite like this man.

Jazz said that Danny is a mass of inconsistencies. He is Dark and Light. He has massive reserves of power, but he does not use it. He is sharp and witty yet quiet and shy. She told him once that his outfit reflects this. It is made of Black and White and nothing else. His soul-cutting sword is short but powerful, and is made of a white guard and pitch-dark metal. It is sharp, but has no sheath. His mask covers his eyes and the top of his nose and cheeks, but goes no further except on the sides where it shoots down to frame his face. Like a clown, she had said—both silly and very eerie—but despite his appearance and power, he is very, very kind.

According to Jazz, that is.

His inconsistencies have nothing on this man. He is a spirit but he is also that thing that Danny has known for a while but could not name. He still cannot name it, but he knows that _it_ is what he is looking at. But the man is human somehow, not a halfa or mere spirit-sensitive human, yet he has a human body. A human body that he is overshadowing to a point, only the body is empty and has always _been_ empty. There has never been a soul attached.

The man is curious and wary both, coupled with a delight that reminds Danny a little of Jack (_—apart molecule by molecule!_)

His appearance, too, is odd. His clothes are of a fine make but worn and dirty. He wears a striped bucket hat and wooden sandals and holds a paper fan in front of his face and overall looks almost like a penniless loon, but he is _powerful_. Not only that, _strong_.

Jazz says there was a point in life where people would often _change_ because to not do so would be to break a little inside. She calls it eccentricity and claims that Danny has already hit that point. (He doesn't see it.)

* * *

The creature has white hair and a human body, but also a Hollow like mask with horns that covers the upper half and sides of its face. It wears a sleeveless black shirt and black shitabaki that ends mid-calf under a long white hooded jacket held loosely closed by a thin black obi.

If Kisuke doesn't know better, he'd think it's a Visored. Only, Visored don't wear their masks if they don't need them. No matter how much they get used to the Hollow inside of them, they are still Shinigami.

It is reposed on its stomach along a brick wall in the afternoon sun like a sunbathing cat, and it assesses him just as he assesses it.

"Hello," it says quietly.

His eyebrows crawl toward his hairline, but it is the only evidence he shows of his surprise. "Good afternoon," Kisuke replies back. He raises his fan a little higher. "Are you enjoying the sun?"

The creature nods its head after a long, cautious moment. Although it is difficult to see its torso, he concludes that there is no hole evident on its body. It cannot be a Hollow. Not an Arrancar, either.

"Are you hungry?" he asks carefully.

It perks up at that. "Is that an invitation?" it returns. "Are you going to feed me?"

Kisuke shifts his feet into a more advantageous position. The thing seems almost human, but there aren't a lot of humans who would accept a meal from a total stranger. Not that humans would try to eat him either. "That depends on what you want to eat." So far, it seems to have an innocent disposition and is not hurting anyone, but he cannot allow it to feed off the souls of the city, even if it is only following its instincts.

The creature beams. "I like apples."

* * *

Even though it's quite obvious that the creature has great balance, it still holds its hands out as it walks along the walls on bare feet. Kisuke is leading the way back to his shop, though he makes sure to keep the not-Visored thing in sight. He is far stronger and more intelligent than he ever lets on, but without knowing the abilities of this new varmint, he could not be too careful.

The trek to the shop is silent and takes mere minutes. Tessai is out on errands, Ururu and Jinta are absent, and Yoruichi is nowhere to be seen. It means he has no assistance if he needs it, but also that he doesn't yet need to explain. The creature might be more inclined to talk if it doesn't have a large audience.

"Tea?"

It blinks, surprised either by the break in silence or the offer itself. "Sure." It smiles amiably.

Kisuke really does not know what to think.

* * *

The creature likes the tea. It also likes the apples, but it prefers the green ones over the red. It likes the four oranges too, when he offers, and the ten biscuits he serves with the tea. In the end he gives it all the Chinese leftovers he has before it is satisfied. For such a small thing, it eats a lot.

It introduces itself as 'Danny' and he gathers, by its name and its accent, that it has comes from America. It seems rather disgusted when he suggests that it might eat souls, living or dead, and replies that it only eats food, "What else would I eat?" He asks if it can take off its mask and it affirms that it can but makes no move to do so. Its compliance so far has been rather suspicious, so that it actually denies him this is frankly something of a relief.

This Danny does not get offended when he asks, _what exactly are you?_ It only shrugs and replies that it is this and it is that, and Kisuke suspects then that it doesn't really know.

Kisuke has to explain Hollows, which Danny has met before but does not know the name of, and Shinigami, which it knows nothing of but is still able to identify Kisuke as. He explains a little about Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, but only so much as is common knowledge. It seems interested more for the sake of knowing more about the world than because it cares about the information.

Danny claims that it should be going an hour and half into their, admittedly pleasant, conversation/interrogation. Kisuke does not feel that he has sufficient reason to keep it, so he decides to let it go and inform everyone to keep an eye out, just in case.

Before it leaves, it turns to him and asks if it can come back. "I liked talking to you." It suddenly seems not like the mischievous though wary cat-like varmint he'd first encountered or the cheerfully childish creature willing to comply with him for the simple reason that it saw no reason not to. It seems quiet and shy and all too much like an awkward teenager. And the mask covers its face well, but he could swear he's caught glimpses of all too bright green eyes.

When Yoruichi returns, he does not inform her of the afternoon's events.

* * *

"Did you know—?"

The voice comes out of nowhere, and it startles her so much that she jolts to the side and yowls indignantly. Then she sees who had spoken and she freezes.

"Do you know," he repeats, "that you look like a cat?"

_What?_ Yoruichi stares blankly at the holes in the comical white Hollow mask and wonders what the hell she has encountered. It tilts its head to the side as it stares back and wait for an answer.

"Yes," she says slowly. "I'm aware."

"Oh." To her relief, the—whatever it is—leans back. "Why do you look like a cat?"

The answer came easily. "Because I turned into one."

"You're not like Bertrand." He's frowning and his voice is almost accusing.

The door slides open and Kisuke steps outside, staring at the both of them and looking vastly amused. She feels herself relax a little. If Kisuke doesn't feel any need to be alarmed at the sight of the masked—_whatever_—then she doesn't need to be either. "What are you doing?"

"The not-cat isn't like Bertrand," he restates. "It's like _you_."

"Yes," Kisuke affirms. "Who's Bertrand?"

"Shapeshifter," he mutters sullenly. "He's a jerk."

"Hm." Kisuke doesn't seem to know what to say to that. He changes the subject. "I have apples."

Danny moves so quickly that Kisuke has to propel himself backwards in order to not be run over. He grins at her when she glowers expectantly.

"Who was that?" As he opens his mouth to answer, she amends, "_What_ was that?" It's the simplest question she has.

Kisuke shrugs, still chuckling as he followed her inside. "He has Hollow in him, obviously, and Shinigami too. I'd say he's a Visored, but that's not quite right. He's too comfortable with his inner Hollow. He's not really _dead_ either; I wouldn't be surprised to find him similar to Kurosaki-kun."

"An abnormal case," she concludes. "It's not as though Ichigo's the only one of his kind. But I've never met a spirit to have embraced its Hollow so completely without having been a Hollow _first_."

They walk into the kitchen to find Danny sitting on the counter, swinging his legs, with a partially eaten green apple in each hand. He grins easily when he spots them but otherwise ignores them in favor of munching happily on his treats.

"Danny," Kisuke says with some amusement. "This is Yoruichi. And you're right—she is like me but she has the odd ability to turn herself into a talking cat."

"Not like Amorpho either," Danny comments idly, chomping on the core of an apple instead of throwing it away.

"Who is Amorpho?" Yoruichi asks when Kisuke doesn't.

"Shapeshifter," he says like it's obvious. "He likes to prank the humans. I told him to run across the Packers field in the guise of a naked human." He snickers.

Having no idea what he is talking about, Yoruichi and Kisuke exchange glances.

"Know a lot of shapeshifters?" Kisuke asks casually as he begins shuffling through his fridge.

Danny licks his fingers. "Cujo changes size. And Dora turns into a dragon. But that's 'cause o' the amulet. And I…" He stops and frowns.

Kisuke stands up with a white styrofoam container and a curious look. "And you…?" he prompts when the boy doesn't continue.

"Amorpho taught me," he informs haltingly.

Kisuke worries that the creature suddenly seems unable to speak smoothly. Yoruichi takes a step back.

"But I couldn't do it!" he wails, slipping off the counter. "I can't even make a _tail!_" He begins to spin in place as though chasing his tail, except that he doesn't have one. He does, however, have a pair of pointed ears settled atop of his head that hadn't been there before.

Kisuke reaches out and takes hold of his shoulders, stopping him in place, and appears mildly alarmed by the hint of tears at the corners of the creature's eyes. Obviously unsure of what to do at this point, he hands the styrofoam box to the boy. "Yakisoba?"

Danny's eyes light up.

* * *

**A/N:**

'_Shitabaki_,' meaning 'pants' refers to the bottom part of a _keikogi_ ('practice clothes') while the top part is '_uwagi_' or 'upper clothes'. The _uwagi_ is often held closed by an _obi_. The _keikogi_ is used in martial arts such as karate, aikido, and kendo, though kendo uses a _hakama_ instead of _shitabaki_.

So, you learn something new every day, huh?


End file.
